Hydrothermal synthesis of Mn xCo yNi1−x−y (OH)2 as a novel anode material for the lithium-ion battery

Three-dimensional (3D) MnxCoyNi1−x–y(OH)2 microspheres were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the MnxCoyNi1−x–y(OH)2 compound has the same structure as that of Ni(OH)2 and takes on the morphology of microspheres. The electrochemical properties of the MnxCoyNi1−x–y(OH)2 compound were also investigated. It exhibited both high reversible capacity and good cycling performance when cycled at room temperature in a 3.0–0.01 V potential window (versus Li⁺/Li) at current density of 100 mA g⁻¹. The MnxCoyNi1−x–y(OH)2 compound retained a discharge capacity of 575 mAh g⁻¹ after 140 cycles, which suggests that the MnxCoyNi1−x–y(OH)2 synthesized by the hydrothermal method can be used as an anode material for the lithium-ion battery.